I've had a lot of folks asking me about this species. I'd post some new pictures were it not for the snakes looking pretty rough after being out and about for over a month. Although the snakes are mine, the pictures are not. They are being used solely to illustrate the appearance of this species. The owner of each photo is credited.
This is my adult male. This picture is courtesy of Stephen Emerick of
Napa Valley Snakes
This is my adult female. This picture is also courtesy of Stephen Emerick of
Napa Valley Snakes
These snakes go through a tremendous ontogenetic change in color and pattern as they grow. For a great pic of a juvenile, check out
http://pinesnake.de/andere/pseudaspis.html.
Part of the allure for me is that not many people in the U.S. are working with this species, although it's hard to imagine why. A live-bearing colubrid that produces large numbers of offspring (record litter is 95, average is ~40-60) makes life pretty easy.